Anti-Kiev protesters take control of govt buildings in Lugansk Region, east Ukraine

Anti-government protesters have taken control of the regional administration building and prosecutor’s office in the city of Lugansk, eastern Ukraine. Protests continue as the deadline for the protesters’ ultimatum to the government expired.

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“A regional administration building has been taken by
storm,” an activist who asked not to be named has told RT.
“A coordination committee and militia are now inside and are
getting ready for an emergency meeting.”

The Ukrainian flag on the building has been replaced with
Russia's tricolor.

Another activist, who said he is now inside the regional
administration office, has told RT that the building was seized
without using any weapons. He has said that anti-government
protesters are now negotiating with armed police, who activists
blocked in the back yard, in order to persuade them to surrender
their weapons and leave.

A small group of guards barricaded themselves in one of the
corridors of the building, according to footage from the scene.
The protesters convinced them to leave.

The protesters, some of them armed with clubs and metal shields,
have spread throughout the building.

No injuries or violence were reported during the takeover.

"There are no injured. We are peaceful people,” Dereko
said.

The police guards from the building have gathered in the
courtyard. They are standing holding their shields, while
protesters, who are also present there, cheer them for not
confronting the activists with violence.

Protesters rallied towards the regional administration building
when none of the officials responded to their ultimatum to local
government issued on Sunday. The people are demanding amnesty for
all political prisoners, the holding of a referendum and making
Russian also an official language.

"We waited till 14:00 local time, the time we expected the
reply by. No answer was received. Kiev has completely ignored our
demands,” Oleg Dereko told RIA Novosti.

Aleksey Uskoryakin, another protest leader, said the take-over
was not planned. The protesters wanted to hold a rally and send a
delegation to talk to regional MPs, but they were absent in the
building. Emotions got the better of the situation, resulting in
seizure of the building, in which several windows were broken.

The protesters are contemplating a possible release of the
building, “if the governor and lawmakers agree to
negotiate.”

Activists estimate there are over 3, 000 people remain outside
the building and more continue to arrive.

“There are over 3,000 people on the square. People are
arriving; the square is filling up with people. The governor has
not come out yet and no announcements have been made. Everyone is
waiting for a response on the ultimatum, the deadline has passed
already,” Dereko told the news agency.

Several hundred protesters then moved to the local prosecutor’s
office, which they seized shortly after.

According to media estimates, some 700 people approached the
building and started hurling stones, breaking windows and
knocking down doors. It took them ten minutes to get inside,
Interfax news agency reported.

The agency stressed that no law enforcement officers were at the
scene.